Treating the Abusive Partner

Christopher M. Murphy, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology and director of the doctoral program in clinical psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Murphy also directs the New Behaviors Program at the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County, Maryland, a comprehensive clinical training, service, and research program focused on perpetrators of intimate partner violence. His research focuses on cognitive-behavioral and motivational treatments for abusive behavior in intimate adult relationships, emotional abuse in relationships, and the links between intimate partner violence and use of alcohol and drugs. This work has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Dr. Murphy has authored more than 40 scientific articles and book chapters on the topic of intimate partner violence. Christopher I. Eckhardt, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. His research focuses on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of partner-abusive individuals, with a particular emphasis on anger and hostility in this population. This work has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute of Justice, and the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. Dr. Eckhardt has authored more than 30 scientific articles and book chapters on the topic of intimate partner violence.

1. Introduction
2. The Forms and Patterns of Abusive Behavior
3. The Clinically Relevant Characteristics of Partner Abuse Perpetrators
4. Intervention Models and Research
5. Clinical Assessment of the Abusive Client
6. Case Formulation
7. Enhancing Motivation to Change and Engagement into Treatment
8. Relationship Skills Training
9. Cognitive Intervention Strategies
10. Trauma Recovery
11. Relapse Prevention